resistance

/ɹɪˈzɪstəns/

//ɹɪˈzɪstəns// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"resistance" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“resistance” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,756. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,756
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist.

Corpus desk

Index EN-resistance · resistance · English

resistance · rank #2,756 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,756
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH replaced

Nearest frequency peer: replaced (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “resistance”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “resistance” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

resistance vs resistant
80% similar
resistance vs remittance
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for resistance
PropertyValue
Headwordresistance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈzɪstəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,756
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “resistance”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).resistancelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “replaced” (#2,755), “retail” (#2,757), “relief” (#2,754). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “resistance” is #2,756. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around resistance (IPA /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,756 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for resistance, with forms such as "ersistance", "reisstance", and "resisatnce". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "resistant", "remittance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier resistence, from Middle English resistence, from Old French resistence, from Latin resistentia. Morphologically resist + -ance. The correct English form is resistance, spelled R-E-S-I-S-T-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist.
  2. 2
    A force that tends to oppose motion.
  3. 3
    Electrical resistance.
  4. 4
    A resistor.
  5. 5
    An underground organisation engaged in a struggle for liberation from forceful occupation; a resistance movement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how resistance appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. widespread resistance to the new urban development plans
  2. the resistance of bacteria to certain antibiotics

Etymology

From earlier resistence, from Middle English resistence, from Old French resistence, from Latin resistentia. Morphologically resist + -ance.

This word in other languages

resistencia(Español)résistance(Français)Widerstand(Deutsch)resistência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ersistance
  • reisstance
  • resisatnce
  • resisstance
  • resistacne
  • resistancce
  • resistanec
  • resistannce
  • resistence
  • resistnace
  • resisttance
  • resitsance
  • ressistance
  • ressitance
  • rresistance
  • rseistance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of resistance - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ersistance2reisstance2resisatnce2resisstance1resistacne2resistancce1resistanec2resistannce1
Edit distance from "resistance"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "resistance"?
"resistance" is spelled R-E-S-I-S-T-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/.
What does "resistance" mean?
As a noun, "resistance" means: The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist.
What words are commonly confused with "resistance"?
"resistance" is commonly confused with "resistant", "remittance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "resistance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "resistance" is /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "resistance"?
From earlier resistence, from Middle English resistence, from Old French resistence, from Latin resistentia. Morphologically resist + -ance. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "resistance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

expression#2,734electronic#2,730tournament#2,705revolution#2,699

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

experiences16 variantspoliticians16 variantsperforming16 variantsimportance16 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list